The WRC title balancing act facing Neuville and Hyundai in Japan

Thierry Neuville has opened up on the balancing act he faces in Japan to secure a maiden World Rally Championship crown and contribute to Hyundai’s manufacturers’ title bid.

Neuville heads into the season finale as the heavy favourite to claim what would be a career-defining title, with a 25-point lead over Hyundai team-mate Ott Tanak. The Belgian only needs to score six points to seal the championship.

The task however is far from simple given Japan’s asphalt roads are among the WRC’s most challenging where small but critical mistakes can happen on the slippery and twisty roads.

Adding to this dynamic, Hyundai holds a 15-point lead in the manufacturers’ title fight against Toyota as the Korean marque seeks to secure its first title since 2020.

When asked how he was feeling ahead of the rally given what is at stake, Neuville told Motorsport.com: “I’m excited, but excited to finish this rally on a good note.

“There is nothing more we can do. Everything has been checked and done and the unpredictability will be road conditions tomorrow, so we cannot do much at the moment about that.”

Neuville admits he will have to strike a balance in regard to risks while ensuring he doesn’t fall into the trap of driving too slowly. The five-time WRC title runner-up is also fully aware of how Japan’s roads can bite after crashing out of last year’s edition while fighting for the win.

“I will follow my feeling on the first couple of stages and then basically we will adapt depending on the results of the other drivers and then we will manage,” he said.

“At the beginning of the rally we will just follow my feeling like we did in shakedown this morning. The target was just to try to follow our normal rhythm.

“It’s like a balance between obviously pushing and taking risks or driving too slow as well. We also want to be there and support the team in case we can be helpful for the manufacturers’ title. That will depend a lot on my team-mates as well, I expect them to be faster than us this weekend.”

While Tanak’s title hopes are slim, any problem for Neuville could hand the Estonian a golden opportunity to claim a second world title.

The 2019 world champion admits there is a lot of pressure on his shoulders as he will also carry the burden of leading the team’s attack to secure the manufacturers’…